French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s resignation on Monday, after violent riots in several cities, BFM TV reported, citing the Élysée.

Nuñez’s handling is being questioned amid the violent unrest, the report said. The riots were the most violent France has seen in years and left one protester dead, 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters injured and 2,000 people detained, according to the Interior Minister.

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The riots followed protests over the high cost of living.

Macron cited failures in anticipation and intelligence that led to the violence on Oct. 17, according to the report. In a televised appearance on Sunday, he condemned the violence and said those who tried to bring down the Republic would have to answer for it.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government would not be “intimidated” by violence and attributed the riots to the “far left” and criminals. The unrest has increased pressure on Macron ahead of presidential elections scheduled for next year.

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